File drawer follower block

ABSTRACT

A file drawer is modified by the addition of a follower block which is inserted in the middle of a stack of cards, files, documents or other thin file pieces resting on edge in the drawer, and a longitudinal slide running along a tract and mounting the follower block on the slide via a pivotable hinge and providing pivoting limit stops for the follower block.

[ 1 June 4, 1974 United States Patent 1191 Dean et a1.

956 Chamberlin Wehner Rothenberg et a1.

Slifstein MS M M K m, fih to w ofi L ba Bm r hm. Em o wSm mm u h m m U w r -r a a WCWB Mm a m m Em m n a F.m A 9 M U U Watertown, Mass.

Oct. 12, 1972 Appl. No.: 296,900

Primary Examiner-Pau1 R. Gilliam Arromey. Agent, or FirmMi1ton E. Gilbert [22] Filed:

[57] ABSTRACT A file drawer is modified by the addition of a follower block which is inserted in the middle of a stack of 44 2 Z 5 2H W 25 2 1 4 5 .I "l H m2 m5 3 "m 8 H2 y 1M 3 mm mmh I u.r mmm L m C d Std UhF H m 555 cards, files, documents or other thin file pieces resting on edge in the drawer, and a longitudinal slide running along a tract and mounting the follower block on the slide via a pivotable hinge and providing pivoting limit stopsfor the follower block.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 322.758 Smead 211/52 X 2.029.754 2/1936 Clark 211/51 FILE DRAWER FOLLOWER BLOCK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to file drawer intermediate supports for holding cards, files. documents or other thin file pieces and more particularly to an economical easily positionable card support for keeping file pieces upright in a partially filled drawer.

Random removal or filling of the long drawers containing field peices often results in some of them falling over and being buried. A movable follower press may be moved along the length of the file drawer and locked in place at a number of different longitudinal locations in the drawer to keep the pieces upright. However, file users often omit readjustment of the press, and pieces fall over or may be compressed overly tightly.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a file drawer modification that is easy to adjust which combats the tendency of thin file pieces in a longitudinal stack to fall over.

It is a further object of the invention to provide minimal sacrifice of longitudinal filing space in achieving the preceding object.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for combatting the tendency of thin file pieces to fall over which do not interfere with easy access to the thin file pieces.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for combatting falling of thin file pieces which can be added to existing file drawers, consistent with one or more of the preceding objects.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an economical construction consistent with one or more of the preceding objects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One or more intermediate follower blocks of slablike form are provided for insertion in a file drawer or other storage unit to separate sub-blocks of longitudinal series of file cards or other thin file pieces from each other. A longitudinal track is mounted on a wall of the file drawer, and each follower block is slidable along the track via an intermediate slide bracket member which slides on the track and mounts the follower block in pivotal and loosely keyed engagement therewith thus allowing the user to lean the follower block forward to get at the file piece immediately behind it or to lean the block back to have easier access to thin file pieces immediately before it. with limits set on pivotable follower block movement by a storage unit longitudinal rail which intercepts a follower block extension. The pivoting limits also serve to prevent inadvertent removal of the follower from the slide. Buth the slide and follower are demountable from each other when clear of the pivoting limits.

Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a card file drawer contion;

FIG. 2 is an end view (viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows 2-2 in FIG. I) of a follower block component;

FIG. 3 is an edge view of the follower block componentof FIG. 2; and

F IG. 4 is an exploded view of track and slide components, the latter being cut away and partially sectioned. of the apparatus of FIG. I, and FIG. 4A shows avariant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIG. 1, a file drawer. 10 having a front wall 17, and rear wall 19, a base wall 15 and side wall 16 and 18 accommodates a stack 12 of miniature computer cards, such as those of the IBM 3700 series. The longitudinal stack of file cards is compressed by a press element 14 which is lockable in place by inserting a locking key (not shown) into any of a series of locking grooves 44 which run in a longitudinal array along side wall 16. The side wall 16 has a longitudinal rail in the form of an overhanging top lip 13 which, together with wall 18, defines the available drawer transverse width for the card series therein and, together with walls 16 and 15, defines a longitudinally running recess 11 for storing the auxiliary locking structure and track, hereafter described, without interfering with the stack of file cards.

In order to prevent falling over of loosely packed file cards in the space between front walls 17 and press 14, the file drawer is modified by the addition of afollower block element 22 with a central portion 23 and, as a first extension thereof, a corner tab portion 24 overhanging the elongated rail 13 of side wall 16. The follower block is pivotably mounted for pivoting about the axis AA in FIG. I on a slide bracket 30 which is, in turn, mounted on a longitudinally running track 40 which runs the full length of thedrawer and is affixed along the inner face of wall 16. This arrangement permits combined pivotal and longitudinal translation movement of the follower block. 8

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the follower block 22 comprises a stub; shaft 26, with locking end tabs 28, mounted on a second extension portion 25 of the follower block central portion 23. The block also has a transverse movement stop collar 29. All of the follower block assembly components 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29 are preferably integrally formed as a single cut, molded or shaped piece.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the slide bracket 30 comprises turned edges 32 and 34 and the track 40, which is partially shown, comprises corresponding turned edges 42 and 44 for double engagement to prevent twisting of the slide about any longitudinal axis of the assembly as a whole. The slide bracket 30 has a mounting hole 36 for accommodating shaft 26 and grooved extensions 38 of the mounting hole for accommodating tabs 28 of the follower block for purposes of installation. The apparatus can be assembled outside the file drawer with the follower block 22 turned from its normal operating position to align locking tabs 28 with grooves 38 so that they can pass through the grooves. After this is done, the follower block is rotated 90 to lock tabs 28 against slide 30, and further movement of the shaft 26 is prevented by extension 29. The slide can be mounted on track 40, which is either integral with or hung from side wall 16, or other longitudinally running wall of the file drawer and which may accommodate the press locking grooves 44 (FIG. 1) or constitute an entirely separate structure therefrom.

The materials of construction of all of the parts of the follower block assembly may be of plastic, metal or wood. However, it is preferred to use low friction plastic components for the slide 30 and the track 40, particularly at the edge portions 42, 44 thereof which engage the slide lips 32, 34.

Additional embodiments of the present invention can comprise, among others, the tracks running along base wall of the drawer in a longitudinally running trough provided for that purpose, the tracks being mounted on the outside of either of side walls 16 or 18 with an overhang mount, the tracks running along the top wall of a side access drawer or rack or multi-piece construction of block 22.

In operation of the preferred embodiment, the overhanging tab 24 is limited by rail 13 in its pivoting movement either forwards or backwards about axis A -A which is in the lower half of the drawer. Alternatively, such pivotal stops are provided by the'top edge of side wall '16 if rail 13 is not present; In either case, the limit on pivoting thus set also prevents theturning of locking tabs 28 to an unlocking position aligned with grooves 38 and keeps block 22 generally upright.

FIG. 4A. shows a second embodiment in which parts common to the H0. 1-4 embodiment have the same numbers. A follower block is engaged with a slide bracket 430 via a stub shaft 26 passing through a hole 36 of the bracket and held by collar 29 and ears 28. The slide bracket engages a track 440 via corresponding turned edges 432, 442 of the bracket and track, respectively. The track is fixedly mounted on drawer wall 16.

Accordingly a simple compact apparatus has been provided in several embodiments meeting the foregoing objects.

As used herein the terms height, upper and lower and top and bottom have their. usual meanings as applied to the species of FIG. 1 involving a top access file drawer; but the frame of reference therefor is rotated 90 as applied to side access drawers or racks. The term central as applied to the follower block is that portion thereof which subtends the file pieces to be protected.

It is evident that those skilled in the art may now make numerous uses and modifications of, and departures from the specific embodiments described herein without departing from the inventive concepts herein. Consequently, the invention is to be construed as embracing each and every novel feature and novel combination of features present in, or possessed by the apparatus and techniques herein disclosed and limited solely by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. lntermediate follower block assembly for use in longitudinally elongated file drawers or the like having a longitudinally elongated track and comprising. in combination,

a follower block of slab-like form having a central portion essentially matching the lateral dimensions of file pieces to be guarded thereby.

means located outside said central portion forming a transverse pivotal axis and comprising means for mounting said follower block on said track for combined longitudinal sliding and pivoting movement of said block on said axis, and

means setting limits on said pivotal movement of the follower block,

said means for setting comprise an extension of the follower block which is located in an upper half of the central portion of the block and extends transversely beyond the central portion, said block comprises a top corner for subtending a top corner intersection of top and side edges of file pieces and said extension is located at said block corner and extends beyond both the said top and side edges of the piece to be subtended, said sliding and pivoting mounting means comprise a shaft extension of the block and slider means for engaging said track, the

shaft being connected to said slider means in loosely keyed pivotal engagement therewith.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said block central portion and extension are integrally formed as a single sheet construction.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in combination with said track and storage unit,

the storage unit defining adjacent first and second elongated volumes with the first volume having the transverse dimensions at least in part of the thin file pieces to be stored,

the track being mounted within said second volume,

the slider bracket being slidably mounted on said track, and wherein the storage unit further comprises an elongated rail mounted thereon in the said second volume thereof forming the said pivotal stop edge and overlapping said track to conceal it from above. 4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said axis passes through the lower half of said central portion of the follower block. 

1. Intermediate follower block assembly for use in longitudinally elongated file drawers or the like having a longitudinally elongated track and comprising, in combination, a follower block of slab-like form having a central portion essentially matching the lateral dimensions of file pieces to be guarded thereby, means located outside said central portion forming a transverse pivotal axis and comprising means for mounting said follower block on said track for combined longitudinal sliding and pivoting movement of said block on said axis, and means setting limits on said pivotal movement of the follower block, said means for setting comprise an extension of the follower block which is located in an upper half of the central portion of the block and extends transversely beyond the central portion, said block comprises a top corner for subtending a top corner intersection of top and side edges of file pieces and said extension is located at said block corner and extends beyond both the said top and side edges of the piece to be subtended, said sliding and pivoting mounting means comprise a shaft extension of the block and slider means for engaging said track, the shaft being connected to said slider means in loosely keyed pivotal engagement therewith.
 2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said block central portion and extension are integrally formed as a single sheet construction.
 3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in combination with said track and storage unit, the storage unit defining adjacent first and second elongated volumes with the first volume having the transverse dimensions at least in part of the thin file pieces to be stored, the track being mounted within said second volume, the slider bracket being slidably mounted on said track, and wherein the storage unit further comprises an elongated rail mounted thereon in the said second volume thereof forming the said pivotal stop edge and overlapping said track to conceal it from above.
 4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said axis passes through the lower half of said central portion of the follower block. 